Activity 12- Organisation

• How do your ideas for flexible learning, and those of your organisation or consultancy fit (or not) with the TES for NZ? 

Although I have read and incorporated the Otago Polytechnic strategic plan into my practice/ lecturing, I had not delved into the policies of tertiary education from a governmental perspective.
 I am guided by Otago polytechnics emphasis on blended delivery- which drives part of the flexible learning of the OT school.  So, one aspect of flexible learning such as blended delivery is cost saving.  (Those costs being that of time in the classroom although costs do come in other parts for lecturers and students).   Cost savings or efficiencies are part of the Tertiary education strategy 2010-2015 (TES) with 'Providers will need to manage costs, continue to seek efficiency gains' (p.10).

There was a correlation between the TES priorities about Maori  students needing to be increased or pass levels increased, and Otago Polytechnics strategy to 'lead the tertiary sector as an organisation committed to working with and meeting the needs of its Māori communities'.  Otago Polytechnic is working with communities whereas the TES did not have specific strategies but did point institutions in the direction of what the expectation was.  With working within communities, Otago Polytechnic has flexibility in the way it delivers courses and can ensure that the content of the material is positioned where the needs of the communities are at.

'Strengthen collaboration and shared resources for greater efficiency' (TES, P.15) fits with the satellite program of Otago Polytechnics Occupational therapy school venture with Wintec.  Students can choose the location but achieve the same qualifications, materials, and teaching.  Students can transfer from one campus to another.  RPL is also used for the course- which is cost effective to both the students and the polytechnic in terms of resources.

The TES also discussed informal education 'can play a key role in literacy, language and numeracy learning, in particular by targeting people whose initial learning was not successful' p. 13.- so this could be linked to sustainability and Otago Polytechnic's innovation on Open Education Resources (OER) and Open education learning.  Whereby a person may access information, informally complete the course and this may give the person the confidence and increase their skill base to then formally enroll.

Although the  TES has a target priority group as 18-25, it was written during an economic downturn where mature students enrolments may be peaking due to a need to upskill or change career pathways in order to remain employable.  There was very little written about mature students in the university or polytechnic environment.  In my experience, flexible learning is needed for both younger students and mature students alike- often with more responsibilities outside of the school system. 

• What do you need to include in your plan to fit with the TES for NZ? 

I am choosing a strategy in the way classroom activities can be changed to incorporate OER, technology and student learning (enquiry based learning).  I need to consider costs and cost/ benefit analysis as initially it could be time consuming but after that, it will be sustainable.  Technology costs will be cost effective in the long term although initial outlay may seem costly (capex funding needed).  Although I do consider Maori and Pacifika learners, I need to ensure that case studies and also practitioners that we are gaining material from for use are of various ethnicities and cultures.

Activity Eight- Theory

This is a posted blog but requires some refining...

This weeks topic on theories has lead me to many links and some deep thought and interpretation.  This will be a topic I will consider and may change my standpoint depending on the angle that I am looking at the DFO course from and the learners. 

Upon reviewing the four orientations of learning (Merriam and Cafella, 1991), I believe that the course I am looking at comes from both humanist and social and situational orientations.  Smith (1999) discusses these orientations.  Humanist perspective from the theories of Maslow; and Rogers- Learning aimed towards autonomy with the facilitator role to look at the whole person- the underlying belief is that of unlimited potential of human growth- self-directed learning comes from this.  Social and Situational perspectives stems from the belief that observing and interacting with others with the context taken into account enables learning.  Participation is important and it looks at the person and the environment (note: person, occupation, environment is a key construct in OT).

The course, ‘Disability, Function, Occupation’ (DFO) as a whole fits well with deep learning approach. (Mind you, the current assessment of an exam leads to some very strategic learners!)
Deep learning is when ‘students make a real effort to connect with and understand what they are learning. This requires a strong base knowledge for students to then build on seeking both detailed information and trying to understand the bigger picture’ (learner centred learning wiki).  The focus of the learner is on what is signified, pulling together old knowledge with new knowledge, scaffolding from other courses, provides structure and content to make a whole, emphasis is internal from the student- the want to learn (Ramsden, 1988).

With the concept of case studies available to all (OER) and also the template' Process of learning about disease and disorder' as a wiki with a dialogue amongst practitioners and students this could be seen as utilizing a Community of Practice model  (although my interpretation could be pushing it?).  ‘Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly’ (Wenger, 2006). Although discussion is based on communities of practice not being a part of formal training, the set up of the learning is such that not everyone involved will be a part of formal learning.  The definition of participation interested me.  ‘Participation because it is through doing knowledge that they acquire it. Knowledge is situated within the practices of the community of practice, rather than something which exists “out there” in books’ (Atherton, 2011).  I could bring in clinical reasoning about novice vs expert differences in practice and also tacit knowledge in here (Linda Roberton has a new book out and she is the resident expert at OP)- the terms are developed and expanded on by Mattingly and Fleming (1994). Here is the website that uses Tacit knowledge as part of the research for application .

References

Atherton J.S. (2011). Learning and teaching; Deep and surface learning retrieved from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm -  (Ramsden, 1988 cited in this website also)

Mattingly, C. & Fleming, M. (1994).  Clinical reasoning:  Forms of inquiry in therapeutic practice. USA; FA Davis.

Merriam, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. (1991). Learning in adulthood. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Smith, M.K. (1999). Learning theory. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm

Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice: a brief introduction. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

(This is a good website for further reading on communities of practice and its definitions)

Activity 11 Cultural sensitivity and indigenous learners

As an Occupational therapist and lecturer, I work in field of education and health- I am particularly interested in the Maori strategic framework (Otago Polytechnic)  from an education perspective but also from a health perspective.  Sir Mason Durie has had vital influence on the health and education system, and his work has had an impact on the teaching and the health care sector in which I have worked.  Incidentally, I am going to a seminar in Hamilton by Durie in August.   

 Following an excellent presentation from Kate Timms Dunn, indigeous learners and flexible learning is an area that I will be delving into more.  I would like to acknowledge Kate’s presentation (http://moodle.op.ac.nz/file.php/1920/Presentations/FL_Indigenous_learners.pdf) and as an invaluable resource for this blog and expanding my knowledge.

The two points I am particularly interested in from the Maori Strategy Framework (Otago Polytechnic), in my professional context are of Maori enjoying a good standard of health and high standard of living, and actively participating as citizens of the world are twofold in my role.  In the curriculum, we also work with the He Korowai Oranga: Māori Health Strategy http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/he-korowai-oranga-maori-health-strategy .The overall aim of He Korowai Oranga is whānau ora - Māori families supported to achieve their maximum health and wellbeing.  I know flexible learning has an e-learning slant, but as I am teaching in a health paper, I bring in the reasons the students need to be aware of, and make use of the resources available to enhance the healthcare for Maori.  The Ministry of Health (2002) state ‘As a population group, Maori have on average the poorest health status of any ethnic group in New Zealand. This is not acceptable. The Government and the Ministry of Health have made it a key priority to reduce health inequalities that affect Maori.  If Maori are to live longer, have healthier lives, and fulfil their potential to participate in New Zealand society, then the factors that cause inequalities in health need to be addressed’ (p. 2).

So, examples of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s indigenous culture in the course design:  Legislation and guidelines from Ministry of Health (as above with He Korowai Oranga Maori Health Strategy), Mental Health Commission are used.  Te Whare Tapa Wha (and other Maori models of health) is also integrated into the course.  Maori and Whanau contexts are used in case studies in integration of practice course.  Statistics are used as exemplars in class to illustrate occupational needs.

Other approaches that I can use to meet the needs include speakers from providers eg. Hau Ora (For Maori by Maori service provider), offering different media for presenting material and also look at access to the course materials and documents.  When planning and delivering the course, Rangatiratanga- learner centreness is a major factor we consider as part of the course and assessments.  For example the DFO case studies will address Ako- direct learner involvement in their learning.

In the course, my experience with working with indigenous learners has been based on Whanaungatanga -building relationships –as with all students.  We provide support if students wish to access it- Maori OT’s, hui for the profession with students involved. 

A challenge may have been if I had to explain Te Whare Tapa Wha with knowing there were students who actually knew more than me!  But, the students offered to present the material to the class- this gained great respect from the class for the students and a sense of achievement.  I am unsure of the challenges for the students as such, I guess this is something I may work on more.  The students in the DFO class who identify as Maori passed the assessments and exams so this is just one indicator- end point not process of learning.  We do have a specialised Maori learning centre with supports at Wintec that students can access.

On a side note, for those of you who also read Gina’s blog, I am teaching the social anthropology course from Hamilton with Gina in Dunedin next semester.  Very excited.

Activity 10- Sustainability

Through reading the article from Lockwood (2005), a number of points resonated with me about my teaching and the course I am looking at. The nature of DFO as a paper has highlighted the issue with workload- for both the student and lecturer.   

In attempting to learn about all conditions/diseases/ disorders a practitioner may face, we have ‘crammed’ more and more info into the course (once described as an 'overstuffed sausage').  Excessive workload will ‘tax, and eventually drain’(Lockwood, 2005, p. 6) people involved.  To be sustainable, staff must free up their time resources for development and investment in supports. In 2013, a new repackage of the course has allocated directed time, directed unsupervised and self directed time depending on credits so in itself, this will be sustainable in terms of workload.

 

On an environmental note: In Hamilton, we have struggled to provide/ set up services for recycling- we would like to implement a system however have struggled with the logistics of this.   I enjoyed re reading the Otago Polytechnic sustainability policy- I did not know about the Poly bikes but will look for them next time I am in Dunedin.

The  Education Swirl- ‘Education for Sustainability’, looks at the economic, socio- cultural- political and also environmental aspects of education for sustainability.  Collaboration and consultation are identified in the economic swirl strand.  We can and will be having more interactions with practitioners for knowledge and data gathering for DFO.  Also, increasing students reflective thinking around the case studies and how the occupations might be effected for a person needs to be increased.

My simplified philosophy (no pontification here just yet!) around sustainability is around 1. reducing wastage and 2. Utilising skills and knowledge of practitioners so not to reinvent the wheel (time, energy, money, resources). 

With the plan to stop photocopying a 100 page book of articles relating to conditions for the students, this in itself will be a decrease in use of paper.  With the plan to use videos online and also have the template of the ‘Process of learning about disease and disorder’ also online for students to complete, this will also decrease wastage.

Students are encouraged to bring a laptop to class as opposed to printing out materials- although this can be cost prohibitive for some students.  Maybe with work online, students do not need to always come into classes each week.  There can be a change in structure of the course into block teaching...

Through the use of case studies and practitioners knowledge, students have the ability to learn from others- saving time and energy on researching themselves- but also leading to inquiry based learning (also sustainable) with material learnt.  Otago Polytechnic has a clause based on students completing work before coming to class and being lectured to- the OT school has a blended learning package for delivery so adheres to this. 

(I have caught the bus to work and also recently purchased an apartment close to work so I can walk into the city campus -if I choose to and it is not raining here in Hamilton!). 

Activity 9 Technologies for learning

I have noticed over the duration of this course that my thinking about the use of each part of flexible learning package has enabled the particular part of the course I am looking at to evolve.  I was reading my initial notes about what I saw the vision for the final assessment as being- and, the change has been really interesting to reflect upon.

Technology Key Trend-  There is a new emphasis in the classroom on more challenge based and active learning (Horizon report, p.5).  Connecting to the curriculum with real life issues.  Looking locally and globally for answers and solutions, immersing themselves in subject matter.

The use of Case studies are important to students in completing work for DFO- initially this has been linked to learning styles (kinesthetic, visual etc).  We currently have students watching videos in class that we have sourced from TV, videos from agencies-  but my idea this week is the use of Ipads in the classroom and in fieldwork settings. We have 6 ipads in the school in Hamilton with numerous students having their own tablets or iphones with similar functions.  According to the Horizon report (2012), tablets 'present new opportunities to enhance learning experiences in ways simply not possible with other devices' p.7.  Another part of this use of technology, is that maybe I could develop an app for the process of learning about disease and disorder....  in another few years maybe!  So, now out of the 'pie in the sky' and back to ipads and the use of the camera on the device...

My ideal: You tube video Jayne-  Watch this you tube clip- I must warn you that this video is of a 'Tired Jayne' from marking... and one tip is to look your best for these videos but I was proud to even get it onto you tube from the Ipad - I had to set up a new account for the work ipad- rather than a personal account due to everyone using that one You tube account now for the particular ipad.

I am aware of the media releases that would be needed for this to happen and would consider this.  I have a video that I am currently editing for the DFO paper and have obtained the releases for the clip.

Through the use of the Ipad and being able to use sites such as U tube for storage, students can access the material at any time.  Also, there will be a buy in from students, as the video as part of an assessment can be completed at anytime.  The interaction with other students and practitioners if this is also posted on Wiki would be highly beneficial to the students learning and integrate others ideas. (See OER blog below).

NMC Horizon report (2012).  Higher education edition.  Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2012.pdf

Activity 7- OER and Practices

After a month of marking assessments and teaching at the same time, I am getting back on track.  This post is a work in progress as I just needed to do Something, Anything, More !

Open Education Practices are about using a public domain to share knowledge and resources freely so there is an availability and accessibility of materials, content and the affords to ability to participation in learning for anyone interested.  There are a number of practices that enhance the use of open education and the resources- tools and methods for communicating- eg. blogging, wiki, facebook, twitter , wiki, flicker, u tube.  The resources themselves- Open Education Resources (OER) according to http://google-opensource.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/keeping-oer-mind-about-shared-resources.htmlare  are teaching and learning resources that can be shared, reused and remixed.  (Ironically, I was unable to cut and paste a quote from that article…  so I have a bit to learn about the remixing part…)

This brings me on to the strategies I could use:  I am concentrating on a year 2 course- DFO.  I am particularly interested in case studies to enhance students learning.  I have completed a number of video interviews that I could put onto U tube/ link with wiki and also post the process of learning about disease and disorder onto a wiki.  It would be really interesting to see what other OT’s and health professionals around the world come up with in relation to the occupations affected for the person by the disease/ disorder.  Students could learn from other therapists and world view point.  This adds to the knowledge of the profession and best practice methods.  This idea stemmed from students not necessarily having to come to the classroom each week to watch a video as part of their learning (looking at flexibility in terms of physical access), but rather access open education for not only interaction with their class, but other practitioners  and OT students too.  ‘Students who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learnt significantly more than students who worked on their own’ p. 18 - Richard J. Light, Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001) retrieved from http://open.umich.edu/oertoolkit/references/mindsonfire.pdf

My words:  Why I believe OER and philosophies are important to teaching and learning: 

I believe that we can learn from others ideas and build upon these for best practice.  The sharing of information and education expands our horizons and enables people to gain an understanding of others viewpoints, cultures and evidence.  We want to use the best of what people have to offer and there is no point in holding onto information when it can benefit others.  As the cost of education increases and the population increases, the more knowledge that people have access to, the more likely we are to help others and ourselves through education and expanding our knowledge.

Activity 5- Strategies

I have completed the activity (with many notes, articles and examples surrounding me incl. both laptop, Ipad and desktop open on different sites!). I found it was easier when I 'honed' in on one aspect as opposed to my usual 'Pie in the sky- Lets change the world' approach.

I would recommend looking a a 'small' strategy as this is still involved!  For those of us who like to pontificate, this is an excellent way to concentrate on one area.   It has also helped me think about the constructing courses paper and change my outlook on what I will work on.

Here is the link-  let me know if it does not work
http://www.scribd.com/doc/92451843/Jayne-s-Strategies

Jayne

Oh, and it is COLD in Hamilton today so I thought I would incl. a picture to help me along. 

Me- Jayne (left), my U.S. nephew, Freddy and his Mom, Kim (R).  Bermuda (via cruise boat) April 2012.
Note:  my glow/ or tan/ red?) from the sun...  it was not from our Kiwi summer anyway...